Cabela’s King Kat Tournament visits Columbus

Local catfish anglers will have an opportunity this weekend to show their prowess and to make a little money at the same time.

The Cabela''s King Kat Tournament Trail will visit Columbus for the first time Saturday for a qualifier that will send the top 20 teams to the Classic on Nov. 12-13 in Columbus.

Anglers will fish the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway in Columbus in a team event that is open to anyone. Teams can be made up of one or two individuals, with one exception. A third person can accompany a team provided he or she is under 16 years of age or older than 65 years of age. There is a $200 entry fee per team.

Competition will run from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The weigh-in will be at the Charles Younger Landing Ramp at the John C. Stennis Lock and Dam. All anglers must be in the weigh-in line by 4 p.m. with a five-fish limit.

To help preserve the sport, only live fish will be weighed in, and all fish will be released after the tournament.

Boundaries for the event are the Aliceville, Aberdeen, and Columbus lakes.

For a complete list of rules, visit www.kingkatusa.com.

Participants can register at the Comfort Inn, 1210 U.S. Highway 45 N, Columbus, from 5-7 p.m. today, or at the mandatory meeting at 5:30 a.m. Saturday at the weigh-in site.

Catfish clubs and organizations can register with the King Kat Tournament Trail and qualify their top two teams for each event. To register for events in the future, call 270-395-6774, or e-mail dvanvactor@kingkatusa.com.

All participants in Cabela''s King Kat events will register to win a 16-foot SeaArk boat thanks to SeaArk Boats and Cabela''s King Kat Tournament Trail.

Also, field test products from national sponsors will be drawn for following the tournament weigh-in.

In its eighth year, Cabela''s King Kat Tournament Trail''s first Classic, or national championship, featured a $25,000 purse. The trail has a minimum guaranteed payback of $5,000 at each event, and the Classic has grown to nearly $75,000.

This year, the trail will have 13 events in the Eastern portion of the United States. It attracts anglers from more than 20 states, including as far away as South Carolina, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Kentucky.